111517newportminer

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The Newport Miner the voice of pend oreille county since 1901

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Incumbents mostly win

Volume 115, Number 42 | 2 Sections, 20 Pages $1.00

By Don Gronning Of The Miner

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County voters returned most incumbents to office in the general election, including state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber and state Sen. Shelly Short, both representing the 7th Legislative District, which includes Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and part of Spokane County. Both Republican women easily beat their Democratic opponents. Short beat Karen Hardy 68 percent to 31 percent district-wide. In Pend Oreille County she won by a similar amount, 63 percent to 36 percent. Maycumber beat Susan Swanson 67 percent to 32 percent district wide and 62 percent to 37 percent in Pend Oreille County. Short is a four-term state Representative elected to her fifth term before being selected by county commissioners in the district to replace Brian Dansel, who resigned to take a job in the Trump administration. She had to stand for election in the first general election following her appointment. She will have to run again next year, when Dansel’s term would have expired. Maycumber, a former aid to Short, was appointed to Short’s former position. She will also run again next year. “I love the 7th District,” Maycumber said. She’s looking forward to returning to Olympia. “There is a lot coming up,” she said. She expects a

Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

A hand over heart It was a full gymnasium at Stratton Elementary School Thursday, Nov. 9 for a Veterans Day Assembly. Students sang songs, local boy Scouts did a flag presentation, and taps were performed to honor those who have served in the United States military. Pictured above is Army veteran Bill Gray (left) with his grandson, Jackson Coston, and Navy veteran Cary Ward.

See election, 2A

Smelter critics resonate with Oldtown mayor

Priest River high school not locked down By Don Gronning The Miner

PRIEST RIVER – Priest River Lamanna High School Principal Joseph Kren said the school was never locked down following an incident on Thursday, Nov. 9. Kren wrote in an email that, “ ... we did not ever see nor receive any concrete credible threat that would cause us to place the school into lock-

down.” Kren wrote to parents that an incident occurred at the school Thursday. According to a Nov. 9 post on the district’s Facebook page, “There was an incident involving a high school student, where the student posted a quote from a song on Snapchat last night. The parent was contacted by administration and law enforcement to make sure the student was safe. The student was

met in the parking lot by the school resource officer to insure the student was safe. Subsequent to this the student was escorted into the building by the school principal and a search was made of the student’s backpack and locker. No threat was detected.” Apparently the incident involved a dispute between students during the school’s veteran assembly after a student refused

to stand for the National Anthem. “As a result of this, tensions arose between several students that gave rise to us taking additional steps to ensure our school continued to be safe for everyone involved,” Kren wrote. “If there were issues that occurred outside of the school law enforcement was informed. If there

By Don Gronning Of The Miner

OLDTOWN – “There’s a lot unanswered about this,” Oldtown Mayor Lonnie Orr said during the regular council meeting Monday night. He was talking about the proposed HiTest silicon smelter, which would be located in Washington a mile or so south of Oldtown, bordering the Idaho state line. Orr had invited people who attended and wanted to talk about the smelter to do so. Oldtown has received 83 letters about the smelter. Orr said the city would accept letters until the end of the month and forward them to state officials. Rose Farris asked the council if they had done any research on the smelter. She was adamantly opposed to it being located at the proposed site. “Nothing is good about this,” she said. She spoke of the dangers of silicosis, pointed out that HiTest hasn’t built a smelter before and said Idaho taxes would go up because of the road needs. Orr said he had attended the Oct. 29 meeting at the Roxy Theater in Newport put on by the Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter. He thought there were good points brought up. Orr said he had spoken with one of Idaho’s senators about the smelter, who told him there wasn’t much Idaho could do until the federal Environmental Protection Agency had looked at the plan. “(The smelter) is probably a good deal, but not a good deal where they want to put it,” Orr said. It will put a burden on Idaho infrastructure. Sean Maesmer, owner of Club Rio, also spoke against the smelter. He said he intended to put his

See lock, 2A

No Thanksgiving for West Bonner County Food Bank Lack of funds cuts holiday boxes By Sophia Aldous Of The Miner

OLDTOWN – A slim budget and lack of monetary donations have caused the West Bonner County Food Bank to not offer Thanksgiving food boxes this holiday season for the first time in over 20 years. According to food bank chair Karen Squires, the board made the decision the first of November. “Our hope was that we’d get the

funds to supply the boxes, but our finances told us otherwise,” said Squires. “I know there have been a few people who have been unhappy with the decision. We’re very sorry to do it, but we don’t have any other options. We will be doing Christmas baskets though.” The total cost of the food boxes is about $1,000 to $1,500 per holiday and the food bank puts together 100 boxes per holiday for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The food

bank serves around 300 to 400 families per month, which averages to around 1,000 individuals. Food boxes are given out twice a week, but perishables are available throughout the food banks hours of business, which are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Recipients only need to provide proof that they are an Idaho resident.

See food bank, 2A

See oldtown, 2A

B r i e f ly County hosts meeting about smelter Nov. 29

NEWPORT – There will be a public meeting to discuss the proposed HiTest silicon smelter Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m. at Sadie Halstead Middle School. Pend Oreille County Commissioners will attend and HiTest representatives will be there to discuss the smelter and answer questions.

Potluck and pies this Saturday PRIEST RIVER – The West Branch Bible Church’s

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classifieds Life Obituaries

Harvest Potluck and Pie Auction is Saturday, Nov. 18, at 12:30 p.m. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward maintenance and operations of the building. The public is invited to attend. To donate a pie for the auction, call 208-448-0603. The West Branch Bible Church is located at 3704 Hwy. 57.

Rooters bus takes students to football game NEWPORT – Students can get a chance to watch their friends and peers go up against rival Colville in the quar7B-8B

terfinals of the 1A state football tournament Friday, Nov. 17, at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane. The game starts at 6 p.m. A “rooters” bus will transport students to and from the game. Cost is $3 per student. Riders should gather at the bus at 4 p.m. at Newport High School and be ready to leave promptly at 4:15 p.m. Community members interested in riding the bus may do so, if there is enough room, as students get first preference. For more information, call Newport High School at 509447-2481.

Opinion

4a

Record

6B

3B

Police Reports

6B

sports

1B-2B

6A, 6B, 10B

Public Notices

8B-10B

Medical page

6A-7A

Time to plan your holiday parties! Check out pages 4B-5B


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